As she was spared from elimination, she moved on to more premium items in the entree basket.

In this round, Charleen’s martini-steamed lobster tail with BBQ strip loin was a big hit among the judges.

And in the final round — the dessert round — Chef Charleen capped off her performance with a funnel cake with pomegranate-grape compote.

In front of her friends and family in attendance, Charleen was announced the winner.

It was also a relief to chef Charleen as she already knew the results, because the competition took place this past January.

Regardless, she says that this win did not only belong to her — but to the entire Filipino community.

“When I went into Chopped, I wanted to put down filipino food from the get-go. That was something I was comfortable with it. I wanted to show it. This was my chance to show Filipino food to the world!” she exclaimed.

“I just want people to understand that this is a person that is self taught, and she cooked her food, and that food she cooked and loved got her into a pop-up, got her into a restaurant, got her into TV, and it was all Filipino food,” said Christine De La Rosa, co-owner of Kainbigan.

Chef Charleen is planning a trip to the Philippines in the near future, to develop a menu for a new restaurant she plans to open soon in the Bay Area.

The Food Network is scheduled to air re-runs of the Chopped episode starting Thursday, December 29th, through New Year’s Eve on Saturday, December 31st.

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